Personal Stories?

This is a discussion on Personal Stories? within the In the News: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly forums, part of the The Back Porch category; Hey, gold is where you find it; so, let the chips fall where they will.
It's nothing personal. This is all good useful information that's, ...

From personal experience, but I don't like to share details, too horrifying. I don't regret my actions, but I wish it didn't ever happen. I'm just glad I am alive today.

The cops will not pat you on your back.

Your weapon will be confiscated. You will not get it back. Your other weapons will be confiscated if you are charged. You might get them back if you are found NG.

You will probably be charged with at least 2nd degree homicide.

Your own family will question your actions.

Your own family might not be supportive of you.

Tell the officer the basics. "he broke in, came at me with a knife, I feared for my life and shot to stop the threat." NOTHING MORE. Inform them they will have your full cooperation when you have counsel present.

Don't be afraid to vomit. What just happened is a horrifying experience. You probably won't have any control over it, just let it happen.

Be ready for civil action. Get a lawyer with a retainer fee.

Expect nightmares. Forever. It has been almost 8 years and they never went away.

Get counseling. Not a general counselor, a specialist if you can find one.

Well, I've drawn a lot. Mostly as a Security Officer, couple of times as a Deputy.

As a civilian, and I may be repeating myself here:

Was walking into a small town downtown gun shop when I and a friend stopped to watch someone driving erratically. The driver stopped his car and verbally engaged us (What the f### are you looking at?). We did NOT know this guy. My friend responded (You). Driver parks car, reaches in back seat, sticks his hand in his pocket, gets out of the car and starts to walk toward us. I drew, pointed at him and said, "I don't think so." He engaged my friend, and thoroughly got his a## whipped. I'm talking Hulk Hogan versus a 10 year old girl a## whipped. Beautiful. Meanwhile the driver's buddy gets out of the passenger side and begins to walk around the car. He says, "Hey!" I said, "Hey!" He sees my gun, says, "Heeeey" and stops where he is. The shop owner comes out and says he called 911, to let the driver up (up was about all he was capable of at this point). The driver and his friend leave in a hurry. Cops show up and take a report.

Just one last one right quick about the speeding to get away - I've used it numerous times. Granted, I'm a licensed racer so its a little different (and you think a CHL is expensive! Whew!). I've been stalked late at night and during the middle of the afternoon. I'm not an agressive driver but I drive my track car on the street so it sets some people off.

Late one night I was coming back from Phoenix on the 17 Northbound just after passing the Sunset Point exit. I had a hooptey roll up next to me the the interior light on. Four hispanic males and one brandished what appeared to be a gun form the back seat while the front passenger yelled something sounding like "pull #$%$#! over." Rather than get into a rolling gun fight I dropped gears, my head, and the accelerator. I hit 130mph on the freeway getting away from these guys. Now, many right here would call me out. I-17 Northbound at 2am.... It's REALLY empty. No towns and your next populated exit is 20 miles away. I also drive it like roundtrip something averaging once a week. Did I mention that unless you've got a good provider, cell phone service can be non-existant at times. I am of the unfortunate. It's a true dark territory - other AZ residents can back me up with that one.

I get a hit on my radar detector in an unusual spot so I slow way down and pull off into a cop's speed trap. I get out of my car really fast just as the cop turns on her lights. I sling my fingers behind my head and spin slowly so that she can see that I have a gun and I then walk up her. I tell her what happened and she radios it in and turns off her lights and we wait. Another officer shows up rather quickly. We wait for 20 minutes. Nobody with the same hooptey drives by. What would have been a leisurely 90 minute drive turned into two hours.

The female DPS officer made a joke that she should cite me for speeding but applauded the fact that I didn't attempt to shoot. The male officer was uncomfortable with me carrying but never said to the effect. He just kept his hand near his gun and a very official tone. I was rather flustered by the whole incident until I got home and the adrenaline stopped. Really shook me up to think about what might have happened if I hadn't thought to flee or had tried to shoot first. Not even something that I like to think about now. I mean, it wasn't all that dangerous because - to be honest - I may have mistaken something else for being a gun and the guy might have been yelling about my taillight... But then again. A thousand possibilities are there.

(Which may start up again at anytime you feel like chiming in with a personal anecdote of your own!)

Well I've only had to draw once, 3 guys in Philly tried to rob / steal my work van over by 23rd and Market, 3 hoods approached and brandished a knife, I responded by drawing my Para P16-40 from my laptop bag and that was that, they ran faster and farther than a grey hound.

The only time I've ever had to shoot at someone was in Iraq and I've survived about a dozen firefights, gotta be doing something right, then again I was practicing rule 1b listed below.

The effects after weren't too bad, the team aspect of it helped alot, there was no shortage of people to talk about with if needed.
Basicly put we had a job to to and we did it, do I feel any regret....not really, I'm alive and they are not, every target I engaged was armed and therefore had to be dealt with to protect myself and my comrades.

The closest I came was driving home from work one evening. I have a slightly tricked out what is considered a tuner car. Nice wheels, nitrous, body kit, audio system, the whole thing. I was driving home from work when I truck in front of my started to turn left. He was committed to his turn, so I committed to turn in behind him. He decided to cut hard right across my front and I ALMOST hit him. I swerved behind him somehow and kept going.
He didn't like that one bit...neither did his friends in the car behind me. They chased me down one of the MAJOR surface streets here in town
(I had 'em beat until I ran up on traffic...gotta love nitrous:-)

Not to perpetuate any stereotypes but "tuners" (aka hopped up economy cars with 500lbs of plastic body kits, down force wings on the rear of front wheel drive cars, with mufflers that make them sound like angry weed whackers) seem to almost always be driven very aggressively.

Driving aggressively can and will get you road raged on. As evidenced by your post.

I was a victim of violent road rage on two separate occasions. (When someone tries to ram you off the road, I consider it violent) Let me tell you, it was not a pleasant experience. To this day I do not know why I was selected in either instance. The only good thing to come out of either encounter was that I was permanently cured from a severe case of teenage hormone induced cranial rectumitus.

I am not knocking your choice of transportation, to each their own, but look at it this way. Why drive around in something that will attract the BG's attention the same way that flashing a roll of cash would. Those little cars cost money, stereos cost money, rims and those rubber band looking low profile tires cost big money. To a BG your car is a potential source of quick cash. Not to mention, that there is a certain negative stigma attached to them.

I am not saying, nor suggesting that you do this, but I encounter a LOT of these little cars, whose drivers seem to be trying to prove something. Thus far, the only thing they have proven to me, is that they are more willing to risk life limb, and points on their liscense than I am. They have also proven to me that many "tuners" are expensive death traps. I used to run a wrecker, and let me tell you, they fold up like soda cans, when hit by a larger vehicle. Once again I am not saying don't drive one, but please be careful, before you end up costing a wrecker driver his lunch some night.
Be safe out there, and if you do decide to show off, please do it on a track.